Chargers missing the playoffs vs. Chiefs losing the division
Joe Rivera and Chris Bumbaca analyze the bigger disaster — the Chiefs losing the AFC West or the Chargers falling short of the playoffs.
The Buffalo Bills have won five consecutive AFC East titles. They may be hard-pressed to continue that streak in 2025.
The Bills lost their Week 12 “Thursday Night Football” game against the Houston Texans. The Texans defense gave Josh Allen fits throughout the evening, sacking the reigning NFL MVP eight times and quashing Buffalo’s final drive with a fourth-down interception as Allen fell back under pressure.
The defeat dropped the Bills to 7-4 on the season and put them a full two games back of the New England Patriots, who enter Week 12 riding an eight-game winning streak, in the AFC East standings.
The Bills already had extra ground to make up in the AFC East race after losing to the Patriots earlier in the season. Now, Buffalo’s chances of keeping its streak of divisional titles alive seem unlikely.
The good news for the Bills? Despite the loss to the Texans, Sean McDermott’s squad remains inside the AFC playoff picture and is heavily favored to make it into the postseason as a wild-card squad.
Here’s a look at where Buffalo stands in the AFC playoff picture following its Week 12 loss against Houston.
The Bills may have lost to the Texans, but they exit their Week 12 game still with an estimated 87% chance to make the playoffs, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. That probability ranks fourth-highest among the AFC’s 16 teams.
Buffalo has dropped from the top wild-card team in the AFC to the No. 6 seed because the No. 5 seed Los Angeles Chargers, also 7-4, have a better winning percentage than the Bills do in conference games.
The biggest takeaway from the Bills’ loss is that they now have just a one-game lead on the first team out of the playoff race: the 6-5 Texans. And if the 5-5 Kansas City Chiefs can earn a Week 12 win over the Indianapolis Colts, that could significantly tighten the AFC wild-card race heading into Thanksgiving.
The Bills have the 14th-hardest remaining schedule over the last six weeks of the season, per Tankathon. Buffalo will face three teams with winning records, with just two divisional matchups left.
Below is a look at the Bills’ remaining opponents for the 2025 NFL season:
Week 13: at Pittsburgh SteelersWeek 14: vs. Cincinnati BengalsWeek 15: at New England PatriotsWeek 16: at Cleveland BrownsWeek 17: vs. Philadelphia EaglesWeek 18: vs. New York Jets
The Bills enter Week 12 in second place in the AFC East standings. Below is a look at the division’s pecking order.
New England Patriots (9-2)Buffalo Bills (7-4)Miami Dolphins (4-7)New York Jets (2-8)
The Bills would have remained in second place in the AFC East standings regardless of their Week 12 result against the Texans. But now, they are two full games behind the Patriots and could be two-and-a-half games back if the Patriots can beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12.
That may make it hard for Buffalo to catch New England, even with the two teams set to face off in Week 15.
Denver Broncos (9-2; AFC West leaders)New England Patriots (9-2; AFC East leaders)Indianapolis Colts (8-2; AFC South leaders)Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4; AFC North leaders)Los Angeles Chargers (7-4; wild card No. 1)Buffalo Bills (7-4; wild card No. 2)Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4; wild card No. 3)
In the hunt: Houston Texans (6-5), Kansas City Chiefs (5-5), Baltimore Ravens (5-5), Miami Dolphins (4-7), Cincinnati Bengals (3-7), Las Vegas Raiders (2-8), New York Jets (2-8), Cleveland Browns (2-8), Tennessee Titans (1-9)